


Demon, Dorm Room, Questions

by Clare_Hope



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Fitzroy Gets Hugs!, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, demon attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27646601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clare_Hope/pseuds/Clare_Hope
Summary: A demon attacks Fitzroy in the dorm room in the middle of the night, and everyone is a little bit freaked out.
Relationships: Master Firbolg & Argo Keene & Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt
Comments: 10
Kudos: 54





	Demon, Dorm Room, Questions

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! I wrote this fic ages ago, like right after the whole "you have six months to prepare for a demon war" thing happened. I wasn't really planning on posting it, but a) I've come to the conclusion that it's actually good enough to publish, b) I haven't written much recently and I feel kinda bad that I haven't updated or posted anything in ages, and c) it makes me sad to see how limited the platonic Thundermen tag is on AO3! Let them be friends and let them hug!!!!!
> 
> So apologies for not having any currently relevant grad fic (i'm planning out a post-ep 28 fic but I haven't actually written it yet--soon, hopefully), but I hope you enjoy this one! <3

Argo was jolted out of what had been promising to be a  _ very _ pleasant dream about a large ship and calm seas. A scream was ringing through the dorm room. His first thought was that the Firbolg had another nightmare, which was normal if not fun. But it quickly became clear that the scream was coming from  _ Fitzroy _ , and Argo watched, horrified, through the darkness, as his friend tumbled off of his double-stacked bed and onto the hard floor with a crash. He kept screaming.

"Vat is wrong vith him?!" yelped the Firbolg, sitting up on the other side of the room.

Scrambling off his bed, Argo started to rush towards Fitzroy. He gasped as he felt the edge of a wave of dark, painful energy brush across his arm and stumbled backwards. "Fitz? Are you okay?!"

The Firbolg pointed to something in the corner of the room which Argo couldn't see. "Dere is a... _ creature _ dere."

A chill ran down Argo's spine as Fitzroy continued to wail. His body convulsed on the ground. Argo could see some dark fissures begin to form on his skin. "Do something!" Argo cried. Sometimes, his lack of magical ability was...inconvenient.

Pearly silver light broke through the ceiling and encased the corner of the room in white flames. For a moment, Argo saw a horrible little silhouette the size of a mouse standing in the corner. There was a high-pitched shriek, so shrill it hurt his ears, and then a flash of red. The creature was gone, and the Firbolg's spell ended. The room plunged back into darkness. Fitzroy let out a whimper. He went still.

"Fitzroy!" Argo dropped down next to him.

The Firbolg turned the lamps on as he made his way over to them. "Iz he...alive?"

Argo leaned over. Though faint, Fitzroy's chest was rising and falling. "He's still breathing. Ya got healing spells, right?"

"A few. It may be...good idea to take him to de nurse's office?"

"No," mumbled Fitzroy.

"What? Why not, boyo?" Argo asked. He picked up Fitzroy's hand and examined the dark red wounds on his skin. They looked like burns, only more... _ open _ . Argo forced himself not to gag.

"Demon...dorm room...questions." A shudder ran through Fitzroy's entire body.

"Demon?" repeated Argo.

The Firbolg stared at him. " _ Obv _ ...iouzly."

"Pretty tiny demon," he remarked.

Fitzroy started to take a deep breath, but he couldn't seem to get much air in. "D-doesn't feel... _ tiny _ ."

"It vas...small. To get past de vards. Ve must make sure de vards are more secure." The Firbolg put his large hand on top of Fitzroy's head. For a moment, Argo thought he was just trying to comfort him, but then the Firbolg's hand glowed and there was a whiff of the forest after rain. Some of the wounds on Fitzroy's skin healed over.

"Thank you, my...d-dear friend." It was clearly still painful to speak. "I... _ ah _ ...am feeling much better."

"No, dis is reediculuz. You are still...badly hurt."

Fitz winced. "Well, yes, I know. I--" He tried to sit up and fell back down with a sharp cry.

"Hey, don't--" Argo caught him. "Easy, Fitz, stay still."

"I do not  _ want _ to stay still."

"Yeah, I figured." He put his hand on Fitzroy's chest, keeping him from sitting up again. "Do ya think they were trying to kill ya?"

"Certainly felt like it," he muttered.

The Firbolg shook his head slowly. "No. Dey were...trying to... _ frighten _ . Us."

"How d'ya figure?" Argo wondered. "I mean, it  _ worked _ , but…"

"Dey attacked us in our room. If dey wanted to  _ kill _ us, dey would send...larger forzes. But just one. To hurt Fitzroy. Not to kill, but to prove dat dey could."

Argo felt Fitzroy go limp under his hand. "Fellas? I straight up hate that strategy," said Fitz. "That completely sucks."

"Yeah," Argo agreed.

"I would prefer to feel  _ safe _ in my own dorm room, thank you very much!" A note of panic entered his voice. "I would prefer it if tiny horrid demons  _ could not _ sneak up on me in the night and hit me with a  _ very _ painful spell that was  _ quite _ literally draining my life away!"

Though he stayed outwardly calm, Argo understood the panicking. "Well, we're safe tonight, probably. They made their message clear."

Fitzroy shoved his hand away and tried to stand up. "I have to get out of here," he stated as he stumbled. "I--" He collapsed back onto the floor, an agonized expression on his face. He curled up with his arms around his stomach.

"It iz not like oder places will be...safer," the Firbolg pointed out.

Laughing weakly, Fitzroy said, " _ Thank _ you, that makes me f-feel  _ so much better _ !" His frantic laugh turned into a cough.

Argo slid over to him again. "We won't let anything else happen to ya," he said quietly.

"Should we tell someone? Higglemas, Althea…" Fitzroy asked when his coughing died down.

"Dis is up to you," replied the Firbolg.

Fitzroy hesitated. As he thought, his face crumpled. "I-I…not tonight," he whispered. His voice was trembling. "Maybe...in the morning. I'm...tired." It took a lot for him to admit that, evidently, because his lower lip quivered and he covered his face with his hand.

"Got another heal in ya?" Argo asked the Firbolg.

He nodded and pressed his hand gently over Fitzroy's heart. The same glow and fresh scent manifested.

Fitzroy visibly relaxed. The wounds still looked painful, but they were much smaller. Some had disappeared completely. His hand slid away from his face, revealing a few tears which had escaped from under his eyelids.

Argo exchanged glances with the Firbolg. "Hey, Fitz," he murmured. "How about getting some sleep?"

"I don't sleep," retorted Fitzroy weakly.

"Just because ya choose to do the elf trance-y thing doesn't mean ya can't sleep. I've seen ya nap in class." Argo put his hand under Fitzroy's head, holding him slightly off the floor. "C'mon, some sleep will be good for ya."

In a testament to how truly exhausted Fitzroy must have been, he didn't argue further. "What if they come back?" he mumbled as the Firbolg scooped him up and deposited him on Argo's bed. "What if they...try again?" He sounded very small, and very scared.

Argo sat down next to him. "We won't let them. Me and Firby, we'll watch over ya."

"Ve vill leave de lights on," added the Firbolg.

Fitzroy reached up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He couldn't really hide the tears that continued to flow. "Okay," he sniffled.

The Firbolg settled down on the floor next to the head of the bed. Fitzroy put his arm over the side of the bed and rested his fingers on top of the Firbolg's veritable mane of dark green-ish hair.

He sighed quietly. "I think I may not like war very much, boys," Fitzroy whispered.

Not knowing how to respond in a way that would express exactly how much he felt that statement, Argo put his hand on Fitzroy's shoulder and just nodded.

"It iz…wery unfortunate," agreed the Firbolg. "But you must rest now."

"Yeah, get some rest. You'll be plenty safe with us here," Argo added.

Fitzroy sniffed, wiped his eyes again, and curled up on his side. "Well, goodnight."

"G'night." In a softer voice a few minutes later as Fitzroy fell asleep, Argo told the Firbolg, "I'll take first demon watch, so don't worry about noddin' off."

"Dis is great shame, I must be avake to protect my friend," the Firbolg protested in a hushed voice.

Argo should have expected that. "Yeah, but ya can take the second watch. I'd rather sit up for a while, anyway, I'm too awake to sleep right now."

"...if you are sure." The Firbolg rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he was sleeping deeply.

The minutes began to creep by. Argo sat cross-legged on his bed by Fitzroy's legs. No demons arrived. For the first two hours, it was easy to stay awake. Then, Argo began contemplating waking the Firbolg up and letting him have a turn. He was just about to reach down and shake the Firbolg awake when Fitzroy gasped quietly and shrank in on himself.

"Hey," Argo whispered. He nudged the Firbolg.

"Hm?" the Firbolg grunted.

"I think Fitz maybe is having a bad dream."

The Firbolg rubbed his eyes and sat up a little taller. "Dis is not wery good. Should ve…vake him?"

"He is already awake," Fitzroy mumbled, startling Argo. His shoulders shook and a small noise escaped him.

"Was...was it a bad dream?" Argo asked tentatively.

"Wasn't a good one, that's for sure." With another shudder, he curled up even smaller.

"Fitz…"

"No, don't," Fitzroy choked out. "I'm fine, I don't need…I don't want…" He was stifling his swallowed sobs into the pillow.

Knowing it might make Fitzroy more upset at him but willing to risk it, Argo moved closer and put his hand firmly on Fitzroy's back. He shook harshly beneath the touch. "Ya might not want it, but we're here. We're not gonna let ya be miserable all alone."

"I j-just…"

The Firbolg placed his hand softly on top of Fitzroy's head, petting his hair a little as he did. "Nightmares are...wery bad. Please, do not feel shame. Dey find me as vell, you know dat. Ve are here for you."

Fitzroy broke. His sobs rang out loudly into the room, hiccupping and whimpery. He tried to say something, but he just kept crying harder and harder and the words wouldn't form. He was almost choking with sobs.

"Fitz, buddy, can ya sit up for us?" Argo requested, rubbing his back.

Unsteadily, Fitzroy sat up. He somehow looked more vulnerable and unhappy than when he had been lying down. His arms were wrapped around himself like he was trying to hold himself still while he cried, and his head was bowed.

"I'm gonna hug ya now, 'kay?"

With a shuddery cough of a sob, Fitzroy nodded.

Argo pulled him close. Immediately, Fitzroy buried his face in his shirt and hugged him back. He seemed conscious of how hard he was squeezing and loosened his grip a little after a moment, though he hadn't been holding on quite hard enough to hurt. The Firbolg reached up to press comfortingly on Fitzroy's back between his shoulder blades. "We've gotcha," Argo stated.

Fitzroy got control of his sobs long enough to say, "I'm sorry f-for being r-ridiculous and c-crying all over you."

"Eh, a little saltwater won't hurt me," Argo replied. His friend managed a small laugh through his tears. Argo smiled and continued, "Anyway, ya aren't being ridiculous. It's okay to cry, boyo."

"I just...it was just a stupid little dream…"

"Is not little if it is….upsetting to you," the Firbolg told him.

"A-and it's also...everything still  _ hurts _ !" Fitzroy added, his voice rising in a wail at the end.

"Shhh," Argo said automatically. "Shhh, Fitz, try not to work yourself up more. C'mere, just breathe." He ran his fingers through Fitzroy's hair. "If ya get a little calmer, we can take a look at where it still hurts and see what we can do."

Slowly, Fitzroy began to calm down. His tears were still soaking through Argo's shirt, but he wasn't shaking as badly and his breathing became slower. "Thanks f-for putting up with my nonsense."

"Stop that, it isn't nonsense. Ya just had a bad dream, and you're hurt. It's okay for ya to be upset," Argo chided. 

"Sometimes I feel...I think…" He shook his head and didn't raise his face from where it was hidden in Argo's shoulder.

"What's that?"

After a moment, Fitzroy sat up, wiping his eyes furiously. He pressed himself back against the wall at the head of the bed and pulled his knees up to his chest. He turned his face away from his roommates as he mumbled, "Sometimes I think I should never have decided to become a knight. I mean, am I even cut out for all of this? I-I'm losing it in a dorm room in the middle of the night and a tiny demon almost killed me in my sleep, and I had a nightmare and all I can think is that I-I want to go  _ home _ ."

"That's a pretty reasonable response to almost getting killed in your sleep, I'd say," Argo said.

"I'm trying to be so strong but...hey, fellas? I don't want to die. You get that we're probably gonna die, right? I really don't want to die. And I--" As he tried to continue, the tears resumed falling. "You know, right now, all I can think is...my mom is gonna be so…" He hid his face in his hands as he started shaking with sobs once again.

Argo swallowed.

"Sh-she won't know wh-why this happened," Fitz continued. "It--if the whole world isn't destroyed--I'm probably just going t-to be  _ gone _ ."

"Fitzroy," the Firbolg said calmly. "Ve cannot know de future."

"I  _ w-want _ to be optimistic!" cried Fitzroy. "I just can't s-see how we get out of this. Gray could kill us  _ whenever he wants _ , he's just toying with us!"

"No!" said the Firbolg, more vehemently. "Because ve are  _ not alone _ . Ve have people who vill help us. Ve vill  _ not _ be underestimated."

Fitzroy shook his head helplessly.

"Firby's right," Argo said. "We're gonna win this. We've got some pretty powerful friends. We're not doin' it alone.  _ You're _ not doin' it alone."

"Are y-you just saying that to m-make me stop crying?" asked Fitz.

"Well, I probably wouldn't be saying it if ya  _ weren't _ crying," Argo admitted. "But it's still true. Y'know me, I'm a bit of a coward. Ya think I'd have stuck around this long if I thought we were gonna lose?"

"What do you think, Master Firbolg?" Fitzroy said, sounding less distraught but still not convinced.

"Ve cannot know de future," he repeated. "But dere is den no use for fear over things we cannot know vill happen. Dis fear is real, but it vill not help."

Fitzroy closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. When he let it out, it wasn't accompanied by a sob. "I  _ am _ still afraid, though," he said meekly. "So that's...cool."

"Then let's just try not to let the fear drag ya into panic," said Argo.

"How do you propose we do that?" muttered Fitzroy. He was shivering slightly.

Argo sighed and picked up the blanket that was folded at the end of his bed. He draped it around Fitz's shoulders. "We'll figure it out. How bad does it still hurt?"

"It's not  _ great _ !"

"Let me see." Though most of the physical wounds had disappeared, Argo could see small bruises under Fitzroy's skin. "What the hell kinda spell was that, anyway?"

"Bad necromancy demon spell," offered Fitz. "A hurting kind. It felt...cold. And it hurt. Ow!"

Argo realized he had put his hand on one of the worse, still sort of open wounds as he turned Fitzroy's arm over. "Sorry! Eugh, that really does look awful."

"Yes, thank you, I am aware, I am living it. Ow! Stop touching it," Fitz said indignantly. He snatched his arm away and winced again.

The Firbolg made a grumbling sound and grabbed Fitzroy's arm, casting the healing spell again. "Is dis better?"

"Almost completely," Fitzroy said with relief. "Barely hurts anymore."

"Good, dat vas my last spell."

"Why don't ya sleep the rest of it off?" Argo suggested.

Fitzroy shot him a look. "No, sleeping is how we got into this situation."

"Trance, then?"

"...eh?" He shifted, wrapping the blanket further around himself. His eyes got a little wide, and the frightened expression reappeared. "Maybe I'd rather just...stay up?"

"Rest is needed if you vant to heal," the Firbolg informed him.

"I  _ know _ that. I just,  _ ugh _ , I don't want to…"

"We'll keep watch still," Argo said. "It's his turn to stay up, anyway."

"I…" Fitzroy hesitated. "I don't really do dreams when I trance, so maybe it'd be alright? I'm just kind of…still a little freaked out, if I'm being honest."

"We can sit up with ya if ya want." Argo could feel his eyelids starting to droop, but if Fitzroy needed them to stay awake with him for a while, he could manage it.

"That would...maybe just for a bit?" said Fitz in a small voice.

Argo patted the bed next to him. "Get on up here, Master Firbolg. We're having a...bit of a slumber party, ya might say."

The Firbolg eyed the bed suspiciously, but climbed up to sit at the foot of it. Argo nudged Fitzroy down into the middle so that he was between the two of them.

Keeping the blanket around his shoulders, Fitzroy leaned his head against the wall with a weary sigh. A faint bruise on his face was the only visible sign of his injuries at the moment. His eyes and nose were still quite red and puffy, and tear tracks lined his cheeks. "Trancing feels a long way off," he said quietly. "I'm thinking too much to trance. Or sleep."

Silently, the Firbolg reached out and pulled Fitzroy over to rest against his side.

Fitzroy sniffled. "Oh, okay, you're very warm."

"Yes, I am...avare."

"Comfy?" Argo asked with a smile.

"Surprisingly, yes, I am quite comfortable here. Master Firbolg, you make an excellent pillow." Fitzroy yawned.

The Firbolg hummed approvingly.

"D'ya mind if I use  _ you _ as a pillow?" Argo was trying to find a way to lay down, but there wasn't enough room unless he curled up very small or put his head on Fitzroy's lap. "I have got to get some sleep soon."

"Sure, let's make it a pile. At least this way, any demons trying to kill me will have to go through the two of you first," Fitzroy joked.

Argo tugged Fitzroy's blanket down so it covered him as well, placing his pillow on Fitz's lap before putting his head down. "G'night, lads."

"'Night," Fitzroy said absently. He had almost instantly started playing with Argo's hair, the ever-changing strands of water sliding through his fingers.

Well, Argo wasn't going to complain about that. He closed his eyes contentedly. Things were tough these days, but he had plenty that was still good. His friends were some of those good things. He really, really loved his friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Argo! Loves! His! Friends!!!!!
> 
> I'm @argonaut--keene on tumblr! Come say hi!


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